Save lots of money by booking shore tours yourself. On my recent cruise to Alaska I booked a tour throug Princess to fly through the Misty Fijords. I was on the same plane with others who booked their flight privately over the internet and they paid $50 less than I did for the 50 minute sight seeing flight. Others on the flight booked at the dock and also saved $50/person. The same for other tours I booked through Princess. There is nothgin exclusive about the tours. Princess simply charges 25% - 50% markup if they book the tour. I suspect all the cruise lines do the same.
Posts: 2 | Location: San Diego, CA | Registered: August 07, 2002
All lines do the same. I get the lists of excursions way in advance and decide which we prefer andthen search the internet. For example, we cruised S.America. Punta Madryn had a day tour of the penguin colony. An afternoon tour of a Welsh village or a visit to a seal colony. All 3 tours amounted to about $350/person.We picked up a taxi as soon as the ship docked and with another couple did all 3 in a day fo $100/couple. We avoided 5 busloads of cruisers by arriving at each spot WAY in advance. We use the ship's excursions if only in port for half a day. neviboy
Posts: 11 | Location: Pompano Beach, FL USA | Registered: July 14, 2002
quote:Originally posted by justruns: Save lots of money by booking shore tours yourself. On my recent cruise to Alaska I booked a tour throug Princess to fly through the Misty Fijords. I was on the same plane with others who booked their flight privately over the internet and they paid $50 less than I did for the 50 minute sight seeing flight. Others on the flight booked at the dock and also saved $50/person. The same for other tours I booked through Princess. There is nothgin exclusive about the tours. Princess simply charges 25% - 50% markup if they book the tour. I suspect all the cruise lines do the same.
Hi!
Whether it's better to buy an excursion from the cruise line or independently depends. You're right that in Alaska or the Caribbean, booking independent tours often is cheaper and a better value than booking through the cruise lines, but OTOH I would always book day-long tours and those that leave very little time until the ship's departure through the cruise line - just in case something unforeseeable happens. It's one thing to save some money by booking an independent excursion - it's something different to miss the ship. Therefore, it's always good to compare and then decide what's best.
Arranging your own shore excursions can certainly save you money a lot of the time. Please remember however, that if you do go it alone and you are held up someplace and can not get back to the ship on time, the ship may leave without you. This will not happen if you purchase your shore excursions through the cruise line. Cruiseman
We just retruned from a 2 week Baltic Cruise on Celebrity Constellation. We always book our tours through the ship, mainly because if a tour booked by the ship has a problem, the ship won't pull out. This was not the case in Oslo, our first stop. 3 young men missed the ship, and they were brought out by a Norwegian Coast Guard speedboat, and got on the ship by a rope ladder. Tablemates watched the entire operation from their balcony. OK for younger people, but how do 60 or 70 year old people do this? Also, for the most part, we get far safer means of transportation. One place that I would NEVER do anything on your own, would be helicopter's in Hawaii. We've been their several times, and just driving around, people are running business' out of their yards with little or no maintenance. Think wisely about this before making any decision. Your spending a lot of money on any cruise, so is it worth taking a risk to save a few dollars? Not in our estimation.
Posts: 321 | Location: Beverly Hills, FL | Registered: June 20, 2002
My rule of thumb for booking a cruise line excursion or going on my own: If the excursion has little chance of having a problem or risk of injury to the participants, I do it myself. As the risk of a problem or injury increases, I book it with the cruise line.
We did a flightseeing excursion in the mountains outside of Puerto Vallarta. We landed at a remote village. I determined the tour provider prior to sailing. I could have saved $60.00 ($30.00 apiece) by booking directly. However, I figured - small plane, landing in mountains, remote area; forget saving the money. I booked through the cruise line. No problems and it was a fantastic excursion.
In Alaska, a popular excursion is taking a helicopter to a glacier, landing, walking around and flying back. On a cruise before ours a storm blew in and prevented the helicopter from taking off. They sent two rescue helicopters and they couldn't take off. Everyone wound up spending the night on the glacier. What would happen if you had booked this excursion on your own?
Posts: 21 | Location: Murphysboro, IL | Registered: June 24, 2002
